At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian Empire and Persia argued over influence in the Transcaucasus and on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Between these powers were countries such as Georgia, Armenia and Dagestan. In 1804, the first Russian-Persian war began. It ended nine years later. Following its results, enshrined in the Gulistan Peace Agreements, Russia annexed Georgian and partly Armenian lands.
The defeat did not suit the Persians. Revanchist sentiments became popular in the country. The Shah wanted to regain the lost provinces. Because of this insoluble conflict of interests, the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) began. The causes of the conflict and the tense situation in the region made it inevitable.
Diplomatic atmosphere
Preparations for a new war began in Persia immediately after the defeat in 1813. First of all, Feth Ali Shah tried to enlist the support of European powers. Prior to this, he relied on Napoleon Bonaparte, who entered into an alliance with the Persians on the eve of his attack on Russia in 1812. Its conditions are stipulated in the Finkestein agreement.
However, since then the situation in the world has changed a lot. The Napoleonic Wars ended in the defeat of France and the ambitious emperor, who was in exile on the island of St. Helena. The Shah needed a new ally. Before the Russo-Persian war of 1826-1828 began, Great Britain began to show attention to Persia.
This colonial power had its own interests in the Asian region. The kingdom owned India, and the British ambassadors made promises from the Iranians not to let any of the enemies of London into this country. At the same time, a conflict broke out between Persia and Turkey. The British played the role of peacekeepers in negotiations with the Ottoman Empire, trying to persuade the Shah to war with another neighbor - Russia.
On the eve of war
At this time, the second son of Feth Ali Shah Abbas Mirza was made commander of the Persian army. He was instructed to prepare the army for new tests and carry out all the necessary reforms. The modernization of the army was supported by Great Britain. Soldiers received new weapons and uniforms, partly purchased in Europe. Thus, Abbas-Mirza tried to overcome the technical backlog of his subordinates from the Russian units. Strategically, these were steps in the right direction, but the Iranian headquarters was in a hurry in its reforms, trying not to miss the time. This played a trick. When the Russian-Persian war began, who participated in the last conflict, they could notice changes in the enemy camp. But they were not enough to bridge the gap between the armies of Nicholas I and the Shah.
In 1825, Iranian militarists gladly accepted the news that the Russian emperor Alexander I unexpectedly died in Taganrog. His passing away led to a short dynastic crisis and (more importantly) the Decembrist uprising. Alexander had no children, and the throne was to go to the next brother, Konstantin. He refused, and in the end, Nikolai began to rule, who never prepared for this. By education, he was a military man. The uprising of the Decembrists infuriated him. When the coup attempt failed, a lengthy lawsuit began in St. Petersburg.
It was in those days that the advisers of the new king began to inform the monarch that the southern neighbor was openly preparing for an armed conflict. The commander in chief in the Caucasus was the famous general Alexei Ermolov. The past Russian-Persian war took place before his eyes, and he, like no other, realized the danger of a new conflict. It was this general who more often than others reminded Nikolai of the prospects in the Caucasus.
The emperor answered rather sluggishly, but nevertheless agreed to send Prince Alexander Menshikov to Tehran. The future naval minister did not find a common language with Persian diplomats. The king gave his ward instructions according to which he was ready to cede part of the disputed Talysh Khanate in exchange for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. However, Tehran did not accept such proposals. Menshikov was even arrested along with all the ambassadors, although he was released already in 1827.
Persian intervention
The failure of the preliminary negotiations led to the fact that the Russian-Persian war nevertheless began. On July 16, 1826, the Iranian army crossed the border in the region of modern Azerbaijan, where the Talysh and Karabakh khanates were located. This operation was carried out secretly and treacherously, there was no official declaration of war.
At the border there were only defensive units assembled in haste and consisting of local Azerbaijanis. They could not show serious resistance to the trained Persian army. Some residents of Islam even joined the interventionists. According to the plans of Abbas Mirza, the Persian army was to move northwest along the valleys of the Kura River. The main goal was considered the provincial city of Tiflis. Ideally, Russian troops should have been thrown to the other side of the Terek.
The war in the Caucasus region always had several tactical features related to the specifics of the area. It was possible to cross the ridge by land only through certain passes. Acting in the Caucasus, the Persians sent auxiliary units to the north, hoping to block all routes for the main Russian army.
War in Karabakh
The main group under the direct leadership of Abbas Mirza totaled 40 thousand soldiers. This army crossed the border river Araks and headed towards the Shushi fortress. The day before, the Persian command tried to enlist the support of local khans, who were the leaders of the Azerbaijanis living in the city. Some of them did promise Abbas Mirze support.
The Orthodox Armenian population also lived in Shusha, which, on the contrary, was loyal to the Russian authorities. The garrison of the fortress consisted of a detachment of Cossacks. The besieged decided to take hostage those Muslim khans who were suspected of betrayal and cooperation with the Persians. The hasty training of the militia, consisting mainly of Armenians, began. Despite the energetic actions of the Cossacks, Shusha did not have at least any large supply of food and weapons necessary for a successful defense during an assault or siege.
At this time, the Karabakh khan, who became a vassal of Russia after the war of 1804-1813, announced the support of Persian interventionists. Abbas Mirza, for his part, promised protection to all local Muslims. He also announced that he was fighting only with the Russians, hoping that this would help him turn the population to his side.
Siege of shushi
A new Russian-Persian war began with the siege of the fortress of Shushi. The attackers and the defenders were divided by fortifications from the walls. To get rid of this obstacle, the Persians installed mines received thanks to European assistance. In addition, Abbas Mirza ordered several spectacular executions of the Karabakh Armenians to be carried out right under the walls, hoping that this intimidation action would embroil the Armenians and Russians who had settled in the fortress. This did not happen.
The Persian army besieged Shusha for seven weeks. Such a delay greatly changed the course of the entire military campaign. The Iranians decided to divide the army and send an 18,000th detachment towards Elizabethpol (Ganja). Abbas Mirza hoped that this maneuver would allow him to go to Tiflis from the east, which would be a complete surprise for the Cossacks.
Shamhor battle
The commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in the Caucasus, General Yermolov, was at the beginning of the war in Tiflis and assembled regiments. His first plan was to quickly retreat into the depths of the region, luring the Persians away from their own territory. Already at new positions, the Cossacks would have a noticeable advantage over the army of the Shah.
However, by the time a detachment of 8,000 soldiers had been assembled in Tiflis, it became clear that the interventionists had been stuck under the walls of Shushi for a long time. So, unexpectedly for everyone, the Russian-Persian war began. The year 1826 was in full swing, and Ermolov decided to strike back before the onset of cold weather. The army, led by Major General Madatov, was sent towards Elizabethpol to stop the enemy and lift the siege of Shushi.
This detachment encountered the vanguard of the enemy near the village of Shamkir. The ensuing battle in historiography was called the Battle of Shamkhor. It was she who influenced the results of the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828. Up to this point, the Iranians were advancing, with almost no organized resistance. Now they had to face the real Russian army.
By the time Madatov arrived in Azerbaijan, the Persians had already besieged Elisavetpol. To break through to the blocked city, the Russian army needed to defeat the enemy vanguard. On September 3, in the ensuing battle, the Persians lost 2 thousand people killed, while Madatov lost 27 soldiers. Because of the defeat in the Battle of Shamkhor, Abbas Mirza had to lift the siege of Shushi and move to the rescue regiments, which were under Elisavetpol.
The expulsion of the Persians from Russia
Valerian Madatov commanded only 6 thousand people. They were clearly not enough to drive the Persians away from Elizabethpol. Therefore, after the victory near Shamkhor, he made a small maneuver, during which he connected with the fresh reinforcements that came from Tiflis. The meeting took place on September 10th. The new regiments were commanded by Ivan Paskevich. He took command over the entire army, marching to liberate Elizabeth.
September 13, Russian troops were near the city. There were also Persians. The parties began to prepare for a general battle. It began with intense artillery shelling. The first Persian infantry attack was drowned due to the fact that the shelves rested in a ravine and, being trapped, fell under enemy fire.
In the offensive of the Russian units, the decisive role was played by the Kherson regiment, which was directly led by Paskevich. Neither the artillery nor the cavalry, which tried to attack the Georgian militias from the flank, could help the Iranians. The Russian-Persian war, the reasons for which was the desire of the Shah to strike at his neighbor, once again showed how the eastern type of army was ineffective against Russian units trained in the European manner. The counterattack of Paskevich’s units led to the fact that the Iranians first retreated to their original positions, and by the evening completely surrendered them.
The losses of the parties were again distinguished by an amazing disproportion. General Paskevich counted 46 killed and about two hundred wounded. The Iranians killed two thousand people. About the same number of military surrendered. In addition, the Russians got enemy artillery and banners. The victory at Elizabethpol led to a radical change. Now Russia was deciding what the Russian-Persian war would be. The results of the battle were announced throughout the country and accepted as a gift to the new emperor, who needed to publicly prove his own competence as a ruler.
Campaign of 1827
Paskevich’s success was appreciated. He was appointed commander in chief and governor of the king in the Caucasus. By October, Iranian troops were driven back over the border river Araks. So the status quo was restored. The soldiers wintered, and a temporary lull was established at the front. However, all parties understood that the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) was not yet over. In short, Nicholas decided to take advantage of the successes of the army and not only drive out the interventionists, but also finish the annexation of Orthodox Armenia, part of which still belonged to the Shah.
The main goal of Paskevich was the city of Erivan (Yerevan) and the Erivan Khanate, formerly a vassal of Iran. The military campaign began in late spring. In the summer, an important fort Sardar-Abad surrendered to Russian troops. Until August, the king’s army did not meet any serious resistance. All this time Abbas-Mirza was at home, collecting new regiments.
Oshakan battle
In early August, a Persian heir with a 25,000-strong army entered the borders of the Erivan Khanate. His army attacked the city of Etchmiadzin, in which there was only a small Cossack garrison, as well as an ancient Christian fortified monastery. The fortress had to be rescued by a detachment led by Lieutenant General Athanasius Krasovsky.
On August 17, a small Russian army of 3,000 men attacked the 30,000th army of Abbas Mirza. This was one of the most striking episodes that the Russian-Persian war was known for. The date of the Battle of Oshakan (as it is known in historiography) coincided with the established unbearable Caucasian heat, which equally tormented all soldiers.
The purpose of the Krasovsky detachment was to break through to the besieged city through the dense ranks of the enemy. The Russians carried an extensive convoy and provisions necessary for the garrison. The path had to be laid with bayonets, because there was not a single road where there were no Persians. To restrain the enemy’s attacks, Krasovsky deployed artillery, which from the very beginning of the operation occupied strategically convenient heights for firing. A shell of guns did not allow the Persians to attack the Russians with all their might, which was reflected in the result of the battle.
As a result, Krasovsky’s detachment managed to break into Echmiadzin, despite the fact that every second soldier from this army died, repelling the attacks of Muslims. Failure had an extremely strong demoralizing effect on the entire Persian leadership. For some time, Abbas Mirza was still trying to besiege the city, but he soon prudently retreated.
The main forces of the empire under the leadership of Paskevich at this time planned to invade Azerbaijan and go to Tabriz. But at the end of August the commander-in-chief received news of the events in Etchmiadzin, due to which the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) passed to another stage. The reasons Paskevich sent a small detachment to the west were simple - he believed that Abbas Mirza was in a completely different region. Realizing that the main Iranian army was standing behind him, the commander-in-chief refused to march on Tabriz and advanced towards the Erivan Khanate.
The capture of Yerevan
On September 7, Paskevich and Krasovsky met in Etchmiadzin, from which the siege had been lifted the day before. At the council, it was decided to take the Armenian Erivan. If the army managed to capture this city, the Russian-Persian war would end. The year 1828 was already approaching, so Paskevich immediately set off on the road, hoping to complete the operation before the onset of winter.
The Russian-Persian war, the years of which fell on the period of turbulence in the Russian state, nevertheless showed that, in spite of everything, the tsarist army can solve operational problems in the most difficult conditions. Nicholas I, not without reason, believed that he needed to establish a protectorate over the whole of Armenia. The native inhabitants of this country were also Orthodox Christians and for centuries suffered from Muslim dominance.
The first attempts of Armenians to establish contact with St. Petersburg took place during the reign of Peter I. It was from that time that the Russian army liberated province after province in Transcaucasia. Paskevich, finding himself in eastern Armenia, was greeted with enthusiasm by the locals. Most men joined the general as militias.
The Russian-Persian 1828 was a chance for Armenians to start living in a Christian country again. There were many in Erivan. Realizing this, the Persian commandant of the fortress sent members of influential Armenian families out of the city who could incite the citizens to riot. But preventative measures did not help the Iranians. The city was taken by Russian troops on October 1, 1827 after a brief assault.
Conversation
Two weeks after this victory at headquarters, it became known that another tsarist detachment had captured Tabriz. This army was commanded by Georgy Eristov, sent by Paskevich to the southeast after the commander-in-chief departed for Erivan. This victory was the last front-line event for which the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) was known. The peace treaty was necessary for the Shah. His army lost all strategically important battles. In addition, now the royal regiments occupied part of its territory.
Therefore, with the onset of winter, both states began to exchange diplomats and parliamentarians. They met in Turkmanchai, a small village not far from the captured Tabriz. The treaties signed in this place on February 10, 1828, summed up the results of the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828). For Russia, all the gains that the tsarist army made in the previous conflict were recognized. In addition, the imperial crown received new territorial acquisitions. It was eastern Armenia with its main city Yerevan, as well as the Nakhichevan Khanate. The Iranians agreed to pay a large indemnity (20 million rubles in silver). They also guaranteed their non-interference in the process of resettlement of Orthodox Armenians to their homeland.
Conflict ending
It is curious that the diplomat and writer Alexander Griboedov was a member of the royal embassy. He took part in a discussion of the conditions under which the Russian-Persian war (1826-1828) ended. In short, the treaty did not suit the Iranians. A few months later, a new Russian-Turkish war began, and the Persians tried to violate the conditions of the world.
In order to settle the conflict, an embassy was sent to Tehran, headed by Griboedov. In 1829, this delegation was brutally murdered by Islamic fanatics. Dozens of diplomats died. The Shah sent rich gifts to Petersburg to make amends for the scandal. Nikolai did not go into confrontation, and since then there has been a long peace between the neighbors.
Griboedov’s mutilated body was buried in Tiflis. While in Yerevan, which had just been liberated from the Iranians, he first staged his most famous play “Woe from Wit” on stage. So ended that Russian-Persian war. The peace treaty allowed the creation of several new provinces, and since then Transcaucasia has remained part of the empire until the fall of the monarchy.